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17 Rev. Econ. Rsch. on Copyright Issues 1 (2020)

handle is hein.journals/rvwoecrh17 and id is 1 raw text is: Review of Economic Research on Copyright Issues, 2020, vol. 17(1), pp. 1-37 ACCOUNTING FOR CREATIVITY: LESSONS FROM THE ECONOMIC HISTORY OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY AND INNOVATION B. ZORINA KHAN ABSTRACT. Social progress depends on the realization of inventive ideas, and economic history provides valuable lessons about creativity in technology and culture. The empirical study of over one hundred thousand innovative individuals who obtained patents, copyrights, and prizes, sheds light on the relationship between institutions, incentives, and transformative ideas and expression, over the past two centuries. The European growth model assumed useful knowl- edge was scarce, and top-down administered innovation systems offered rights and rewards to exclusive groups. By contrast, American policies regarded creativity as widely distributed in the general population, and further promoted inclusive market-oriented mechanisms that fostered diversity in ideas and outcomes. The evidence suggests that property rights in patents facilitated markets in ideas, and ensured that returns were aligned with productivity and market demand. Whereas, such administered systems as innovation prizes and publisher's copyrights in the creative industries benefited the few rather than overall social welfare. 1. ECONOMICS AND CREATIVITY For many, creativity is an ineffable expression of the human condition, well beyond conventional economic concerns. Creative output often excludes large areas of standard economic activities from consideration. Creative writing is defined in terms of novels and fictional literature rather than a novel theoretical article in the Journal of Economic Literature. The boundaries of creative industries officially include music, fiction, fashion and design, architecture, performance, computer games, photography and film, and other artistic pursuits.' The genius creates a painting of a can of soup or curates the placement of a urinal; whereas the producer of a superior can of soup or the plumbing in This essay elaborates on my keynote presentation at the 2019 annual SERCI meeting in Montpellier, France. I am exceedingly grateful to the Society for Economic Research on Copyright Issues for this opportunity. Special thanks are due to Richard Watt, the editor of this journal. I also benefited from discussions with Christian Handke, Paul Heald, Mark Schultz, Ruth Towse and other conference participants, whose research insights have all added so much to our understanding of human creativity. 'See, for the instance, UNCTAD's definition of creative industries which can be found at https://unctad.org/en/Pages/DITC/CreativeEconomy/Creative-Economy-Programme.aspx. The 2008 Cre- ative Economy Report (p. 3) is more comprehensive, regarding creativity as the formulation of new ideas and originality, imagination, inspiration, ingenuity and inventiveness especially when applied to cultural goods, inventions and innovations.

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